Tag Archives: Flower

These flowering branches will eventually form the center of the centerpiece for my niece’s wedding.

Supplies:

Paper in varying shades of your color for the flower. Bits of tissue paper/napkin for the center, branches (I pick mine up from the yard), white glue.

Time Commitment:

About 20 minutes to make the flowers and glue to the branch (bigger branches = more flowers = more time).

Skill:

Do you remember how to make a spit wad?

Purple Pig Rating:

7.5 oinks out of 10. The flowers are really sweet and very easy. The cost is nothing (doesn’t everyone have paper, glue, and yard debris?) Making a lot of flowers is a bit tedious, but again very easy. Gluing to the branch takes some time. Hot glue is faster, but shows. Using white glue takes time to let it dry, but is invisible. Minimal messy factor, in fact it requires cleaning up your yard of branches.

Detailed Step by Step:

1. Trace a round circle onto your paper in the size you want your flower. I used a 2″ diameter lid. Cut out your circles. Fold/layer your paper to make several circles at once.

2. Fold the circle in half, then in half again, then in half again. You will have a little cone. Cut a rounded edge to form the petal shape. Unfold.

3. Cut out two triangular sections from the flower (to make a more open flower, cut out one section, to make a smaller bud, cut out three sections). Glue the two end sections together by overlapping.

4. To make a flat base (so you can glue it to a branch), I placed a blunt-ended pencil inside the flower and pressed down onto the table.

5. Make “spit wads” out of a contrasting color from bits of napkin or tissue paper. A dab of glue in the center of flower will hold them. A shiny bead would look pretty too. Shape the petals by pinching each rounded end between your fingers.

6. Glue to your branch. Repeat.

6a. (Optional Step): Making smaller buds from your left over cut out bits.

6b. (Optional Step): Use tissue paper (or napkins) and make even smaller circles/flowers for a completely different look. The small blue flowers are made from 1″ napkin circles, cut “pointy” instead of rounded, and the flower base doesn’t need to be flattened.

This is an easy paper flower made from crepe paper streamers. I adapted this flower from the Brides Cafe which used sheets of crepe paper. However, streamers are more readily available, less expensive, and it cuts down on cutting.

Supplies:

Crepe paper streamer in your choice of colors (be sure to buy green if you want to add leaves & stems). It’s about $1 for two rolls, each roll will make about 20 flowers. Skewer sticks (or you can use wire). Again about $1 for 50 sticks. White school glue.

supplies

Time Commitment:

About 2 minutes per flower, with some drying time.

Skill:

Have to be able to hold a stick.

Purple Pig Rating:

8 oinks out of 10. A decent messy factor since I manage to get glue all over my hands and eventually in my hair. Very easy and cheap. They look great, but making a whole bunch can get tedious. I recommend mini-flower making sessions.

Detailed Step by Step:

1. Cut about a two foot length of streamer.

2. Fold the streamer in half, then in half again, then again…until it is about 1 inch or so wide. Cut a rounded “petal” shape along the top. Unfold & lie flat.

3. Lightly squirt some glue along one short edge and along the bottom for a few inches. Place your stick (I used a skewer) about 1/2 way up on the edge. Remember, this is crepe paper, so a little glue goes a long way. You also do not need complete, uniform glue coverage along the bottom.

4. Roll the stick a few turns to make the inside petal. How many turns exactly? Just until you like the look–but at least 1 complete turn so it will be glued to the stick when you are finished.

5. Add more glue to extend your glue line along the bottom a by a few inches more (you’ll keep doing this as you go) and start rolling the stick slowly while you use your fingers to gently gather the streamer to the stick. Just keep rolling, gathering, and sticking the crepe paper. Here’s lots of pictures:

When you get to the end of the stream, add glue along the short end and finish rolling/gathering.

6. Pinch the paper along the bottom where it meets the stick to make sure there is good contact with glue, paper, and stick. I add just a bit more glue around the bottom as a just in case measure. Then you just need to let it dry (hang upside down while drying if you used a lot of glue along the base).

6a. (Optional Step) Stem & Base with green crepe paper streamer–Cut about 2 inches of green, fold in half, fold in half again (and again) cut a point on BOTH short ends. Unfold & lie flat. Then fold in half long ways so the point ends do NOT line up. Glue along the bottom straight edge and roll onto the base of the flower. You can then continue to wrap the stick in green paper if you like (or paint it).

6b. (Optional Dual or triple, or ? colored flowers): Do the same procedure as above, but cut some alternate colors and glue at the base. I did this at random intervals.

And that’s it. I could have made 10-15 flowers in the time it took me to write this tutorial, it’s that easy.

My niece is getting married and I am delving into the world of paper flowers as shower, wedding, and reception decor.

The advantage of paper flowers is how much in advance you can make and arrange them. Plus the uber low cost is awesome. The wedding is in mid-April. I’m hosting her shower one week before the wedding (to accommodate out of town guests) and will be a “bridal tea” theme. Lots of flowers, ladies with hats, small crustless sandwiches.

My goal, under my niece’s approval, is to create decorations for the shower that can also serve as wedding ceremony and reception pieces. Triple duty paper flowers in her colors of yellow and blue.

Centerpiece (entire project)

General Supplies

One thing I have is branches. They are all over my yard. Paper? Check. Crepe paper streamers are $1 for two rolls at the dollar store. I still haven’t worked out the vessel (vases) just yet, but I’m thinking…

Time Commitment:

It takes about 2 minutes per flower –start to finish.

Purple Pig Rating:

8 oinks out of 10. It is really easy, but can get tedious if making a whole bunch. Best to break up into mini flower making sessions. I manage to get glue everywhere, including my hair, so the messy factor is good. Very cheap.